


Black Magic

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Animal Familiar, Character Death, Dark Magic, Death, Familiars, Ghosts, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Murder, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Magic, Necromancer Lee Taeyong, Necromancy, Spirits
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:35:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24513193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Jaehyun moved to Gwanak-gu, upon his arrival he was warned to stay clear of the Lee brothers who lived in the ruined house on his street. With rumors of them being cursed circling, they were socially isolated. He learned that the eldest brother, Taeyong, was in his class. Intelligent yet quiet, a mysterious aura followed him everywhere. Even Jaehyun's new friends warn him away, but yet he still feels himself being pulled in by Taeyong.Being a modern-day necromancer, Taeyong communicated with the dead more than the living. He created a wall around himself, shielding himself from hurt and judgement. But the overly curious Jaehyun was a threat to his security, and no matter how much he pushed him away, he always came back. Over time, Jaehyun destroyed his wall piece by piece. Taeyong let him inside of his life of darkness, but everyone wanted to tear them apart.“Well, I guess I just find it easier to communicate with the dead.”
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Moon Taeil
Kudos: 18





	Black Magic

Jaehyun had to force himself awake as he sat beside the window in the moving van. It was eleven in the morning on a Sunday, but he had been awake playing video games out of lack of tiredness and boredom, and only managed to gain three hours of rest before his parents rudely woke him up to move their belongings into their new house. They had already crossed over the Han River, and had just passed through Dongjak-gu and were in Gwanak-gu. He was uncertain of how long it would be until they arrived—as he’d never been to the house—but he knew they’d been driving for a while. 

The van was crammed, in the back their belongings were stacked and unorganized, and up front his father drove and Jaehyun was crammed beside his mother who was checking her phone for the directions. The teen huffed and looked out of the window to see the city passing by. Gwanak-gu seemed far quieter. As they made their way through the district became less dense, and eventually they making their way down small streets and avenues. His father seemed certain of where he was going, but his mother was whining. Jaehyun mentally turned off the second they began to argue about the directions. He just wanted to get to the house and organize his things, and as quickly as possible, set up his computer. 

They neared towards a nice house, and Jaehyun looked around out of the window to see the street was quite large, with a dead-end down at the end. At the head of the road, luckily unseen from the outside, a house was old and worn-down, with plants growing up the walls and the garden overgrown. The rest of the houses seemed alright, there was just that one haunted-looking one stood almost darkening the entire street. In the windows, plain curtains were hung, all shut, blocking out any sunlight. He doubted anyone lived there. Maybe it was abandoned. 

His father reversed the car onto the driveway and his mother let out a sigh of relief. Jaehyun was happy he got to remove his seat belt, and the second the engine stopped, he climbed out of the van and onto the grey-stone path. He stretched, relieved to be able to move. The house was bright, obviously expensive and new. He’d be lying if he said his parents didn’t have much money. His mother worked in a fancy restaurant in Dongjak-gu, and his father was a detective. He transferred to Gwanak-gu, but his mother kept her job. The new house was closer to her workplace anyway. They could both drive and they had two cars, so it wasn’t as if there was a problem with her commuting to work. 

His father opened the van’s rear door, and Jaehyun looked at the overwhelming stack of items before him. He could already feel the pain he was going to be in once he helped them carry all of that inside. He took a box, and made his way to the door as his mother unlocked the door. Luckily, the box was labelled, so all he needed to do was find the kitchen. When he stepped inside, the scent of new house practically slapped him in the face. The hallway immediately before him was painted a bright cream and the floor lined with a wooden laminate. He looked around, and his eyes landed on the stairs. They curved inward and the black handrail looked like a nice contrast against the cream paint. The curved wooden staircase added a rustic feeling to the house, and Jaehyun was all for it. 

He wandered down the hallway and opened one door, only to discover it was a storage cupboard. To the right, another door led into the living room. Though the room was mostly empty, the stone fireplace was immediately in his sight, and the large room was drowned in natural lighting from the window at the front and the sliding patio doors at the back. Fron the doorway, he caught glimpse of the open place around the corner. He wandered through to see that the kitchen was connected to the living room. He placed the box down and walked back through the hallway and outside, where he passed his father who was carrying a small cupboard unit. 

Outside his mother looked through boxes, and, seeing Jaehyun yawn, she stopped what she was doing and turned around. 

“Are you tired?” she asked, and he nodded. 

He was lucky, his family was extremely caring. His friends back in Yongsan-gu always talked about arguing with their parents, or how they were separated. Jaehyun couldn’t imagine his apart. They were far too close. 

“Why don’t you head over to the store for me, and we’ll move everything inside? You can look around while you’re walking and get a look at the area.” 

She reached into her pocket and took out some money, placing it in his hand. He smiled at her and looked past her, to the street. 

“Bring some bottled water and bread back. The store is on the left side, it’s only a small one. You can get yourself something if you’d like,” she said. 

“I won’t be long.” 

“Don’t get lost,” she chuckled. 

Jaehyun walked out onto the street. It felt a little bit overwhelming, at first. He had no idea where he was, really, and he’d lived in Yongsan his entire life. In addition to the moving process, he wasn’t that far from graduating high school. He had to move to a local school, which he wasn’t too bothered about—he was only leaving one actual friend behind—but it would take some adjusting. He actually found it exciting, to start again, somewhere nobody knows about him and all of the embarrassing things he’d done in Yongsan. 

When he reached the end of the street, he looked down to the left. Unsurprisingly, the store was there and it was certainly small. The area was more residential, which was different to their small house in the mainly business-section of Yongsan. He hadn’t noticed, but opposite the store was a large, dilapidated mansion half-submerged in forestry. It was far into disrepair, with its boarded windows and chained door visible beyond the greenery. 

Jaehyun opened the door to the store and stepped inside. There was only him, another customer and a staff member inside. Everything was almost crammed into the small building, and as he walked over to the refrigerated section, the teen was pleasantly surprised that the bread was actually on the shelf behind him. He grabbed two large bottles of water and placed the bread on top on them in his arms. He slowly made his way to the counter, giving the other customer time to grab their bags and leave, before he placed his items down onto the counter. 

The worker looked young, and definitely miserable, as he picked up a bottle and scanned it twice, before scanning the bread’s code. Jaehyun’s eyes averted to the worker’s name tag, and learned he was called Mark. 

“Need a bag?” he asked grimly. 

“Yeah, please.” 

He momentarily disappeared behind the counter and soon emerged with a plastic bag and placed the items inside, being careful to not squish the bread. He summed up the total and turned back to the customer. 

“That’s three-thousand, four-hundred and thirty-six won.” 

Jaehyun passed him the five-thousand won that his mother gave him and waited as Mark collected his change. When the worker passed him a one-thousand won note and a plethora of coins, the customer grinned. 

“Thanks, have a nice day,” he said. 

Mark’s mood immediately improved, and he had a small smile, “you too.” 

Jaehyun took the bag and walked back out of the store, and that’s when his eyes landed on the mansion in the woods. He thought back to the house on his street and how that was also similarly an eyesore to the area. He stopped where he was, just looking at the building as he put the money into his pocket. The mansion was creepy, and made him feel on-edge just by looking at it. He saw a black cat run across the grass before it, and that made him shiver. He turned to walk back to the house, but was taken aback when he saw an old woman with a walking stick practically gawking at him. 

“Don’t look so interested in that place, it’s infested with ghosts,” she said, her voice feeble and quiet. 

Jaehyun didn’t believe in ghosts, but he wasn’t going to laugh in an old woman’s face, so he stayed quiet. She seemed to pick up on his unease and continued talking. 

“There’s a young man—around your age probably—he’s infamous around here for being some kind of magic practitioner. He’s got two brothers, both of the same lineage. He goes in there; you don’t want caught by him.” 

“Magic?” he questioned. 

Yet another thing he didn’t believe in, but he was curious. 

“Dark arts, like invoking spirits through rituals. He’s a weird boy. He lives down there—” she pointed towards the road of Jaehyun’s new house, “—in the old house, covered in vines.” 

“I won’t be going in there; it looks creepy even without that information.” 

The elderly woman chuckled, “good. We wouldn’t want you youth killed, or you won’t become old and rusty like us. I wouldn’t approach him either. You’ll know him when you see him, sharp features and black hair that covers his eyes. Though that probably won’t help you.” 

“Thanks for the warning,” he smiled, “but I have to go before my parents think I’m lost.” 

“Go on then, be careful out there.” 

“You too.” 

Jaehyun walked away feeling rather disturbed, to say the least. He didn’t believe any of it, but if there was some kind of magic freak wandering around, he’d have to keep his eyes open for trouble. He was almost a magnet for trouble. As he approached the street, he saw his parents were still unpacking the van. He’d have to help, or he’d feel bad. But he just wanted to lie down and rest, even with the absence of a bed. 

With an alarm clock deafening him, Jaehyun stirred awake. He opened his eyes to his room full of boxes, and rolled onto his side to bury his face into his soft pillow. He really didn’t want to have his first day in his new school. His parents would already be out at work, leaving the house empty and quiet. He sluggishly forced himself out of bed and out of the room. He couldn’t even be bothered to eat, so just decided to shower first. After a quick—and cold—cleansing, he made some toast with the bread he bought the day before as he waited for his hair to dry itself. He an hour still until the gate closure, as he set his alarm extra early, knowing he’d have things to arrange. 

Even with the prior cold-shock, Jaehyun sat taking small bites of his toast half asleep. Beside him on the table, there was a small note with a key. Later on, before sunset, his parents took him to the school, just so he knew where to walk. It was close, only a street away from the store, and was much smaller than his school in Yongsan. It was a joined middle school and high school, though separated in separate buildings and by fences, merely for convenience. The only other schools were in the center of the district, instead of the outskirts. 

Faced with a clear plate, Jaehyun headed upstairs and grabbed his uniform. It was nothing too surprising, just an average uniform for a high schooler. He buttoned up his shirt and sighed when he saw a tie on the pile. His last school didn’t have them, and he found them obnoxious. He’d have to abide by the new rules, as his parents weren’t exactly enthusiastic that only time he’d broken the rules, and as a result had to attend several detention sessions. It was nothing too terrible, he just forgot one piece of homework in his incredibly strict school several days in a row. 

He put on his blazer, ignoring the armless sweater sat atop of it. Surely it wasn’t required. The uniform seemed “smarter” than his prior school, but he doubted it was actually a better school. The building certainly looked worse. He made sure his hair was presentable and brushed his teeth, only to stand in front of the mirror. Looking at his reflection, he sighed. He really couldn’t be bothered. 

He gathered his key and his backpack and headed out of the front door. As he was locking the door, he heard talking out on the road, and turned around to see three students. Two were wearing his school’s uniform, and the final one wearing an unfamiliar, yet similar one. As he looked closely, he recognized one as Mark, the cashier in the small store. He looked miserable, again. The other two he was with were talking, whereas Mark stayed distant and silent. Jaehyun assumed he had brothers, but he thought nothing of it. He ended up walking behind them, scanning the area as he walked. He followed them, as he had forgotten where he was going. 

The boy in the unfamiliar uniform, whom he assumed was younger—maybe in the connected middle school—by his softer features and shorter height, was cheerful and had a bright grin. If they were all Mark’s brothers, they had unbelievably different demeanors from each other. The tallest, who, naturally, he assumed was the eldest, had a dark aura he could feel even from several meters behind them. At that moment he didn’t even think about the woman from the night before. He’d forgotten, and pushed it off as rumors, or an old woman’s delusion. 

They neared the school and he saw the youngest brother split off and walk towards the conjoined middle school, and as the other brothers approached the high school gates, everybody fell silent. Walking in behind them, Jaehyun was confused. Were they a big deal? Maybe they fought? He’d never had such people in his prior school, everyone was too caught up on studying, even his friend, who was practically the class clown, stayed clear of conflict. People moved away from them as they walked. When they disappeared into the building, people began to mutter between themselves. 

Jaehyun pushed it off, he knew he had to go to the principal’s office for his introductory meeting. If only he knew where he was going. He looked around at the busy halls, seeing an obvious split between each group. It wasn’t particularly obvious who was “popular”, but a group of girls’ eyes landed on him and they began to talk among themselves. It all seemed foreign. Everybody in his last school ignored each other, for the most part. He sighed; it was going to be difficult to adapt with their finals being in less than six months. Luckily, he’d managed to escape doing double mid-terms, but strenuous preparation in an unfamiliar environment would really be something else. He wasn’t exactly the best student, even in his highly academic school in Yongsan. 

He eventually gave in looking around, and leaned back against the wall in the bustling hallway. He had no idea where he was going, and the students didn’t exactly look friendly. He thought if he was to just stay still, maybe someone would realize how utterly lost he was and help him. Surely enough, he was still stood there five minutes later and sighed, pushing himself up from the wall with his foot. With his hands shoved in his pockets, he started walking in a random direction. Just as he was about to turn a corner, he was grabbed and pulled underneath the staircase. Taken aback, he stared at Mark with wide eyes. 

“You go here?” he asked. 

Jaehyun nodded uncertainly, “yes?” 

“Do you know who I am?” 

“The cashier?” 

Mark looked away and chuckled, “you’re new.” 

“Yes, it’s my first day.” 

“What class?” 

“Well, I’m not sure where the Principal’s office is, but I’m a senior,” Jaehyun replied. 

“You’re lost?” asked Mark, “I’m a sophomore, if that matters.” 

The elder nodded, “I’m not lost, more confused as to where the office is.” 

“Alright. I’ll take you.” 

Jaehyun grinned, following Mark as he walked off towards the staircase. There was a silence as they walked, and people stared in their direction, but it wasn’t as prevalent as when the brothers had arrived. 

“What’s your name?” asked the sophomore. 

“Jaehyun.” 

“Where did you come from?” 

“What’s with the questionnaire?” 

Mark turned around and they made eye contact, causing Jaehyun to sigh. 

“Yongsan-gu, across the River Han.” 

The younger seemed surprised, “why’d you move from there? Especially to this part of Gwanak-gu.” 

“Father’s work. He’s a detective.” 

Mark made a noise of understanding, “there’s the office. I’ll see you around.” 

“Yeah, bye.” 

Jaehyun watched at the sophomore left. Something felt off about him. Aside from the fact he seemed awfully serious, the students’ reactions to his presence were odd. Not as bad as when his brother was there, but they still stared. He didn’t seem like a bully; he couldn’t think of any other reason. 

The teen knocked on the door to the Principal’s office, and soon enough the door was opened. A tall man answered—in his thirties or forties—and smiled. 

“Jung Jaehyun? Come on in.” 

He obliged, looking around the office. There was a younger man sat down on a seat beside the Principal’s desk, and when he sat down opposite them, he was met by a warm smile. 

“I’m Principal Myung, and this is Mr Choi, your homeroom teacher.” 

Jaehyun bowed, muttering a quiet hello. He’d always been taught that he shouldn’t just sit quietly, and actually communicate with others. He found it too easy to talk to people, and sometimes that caused problems. 

“You’ll be in class 3–1. It’s a nice class, but I assume you’re here to study, not fool around. Am I right?” asked the Principal. 

The teen nodded, “yes, that’s right.” 

“Good, sometimes things do get a bit rowdy around here, but I promise that we will always ensure you have an environment to study in. We do have a punishment system, and every student gets three warnings, unless it’s a serious issue. I’m sure we won’t have any trouble with you, so I can skip that. Mr Choi, do you have anything to say?” 

The homeroom teacher nodded, and turned to face Jaehyun, “if you have any concerns, come to me. I strictly help my student’s without involving outsiders unless anybody is at risk.” 

“Alright,” the teen replied. 

“Now, homeroom is about to start. Come with me, and I can introduce you to the class.” 

Jaehyun followed the teacher through the hallways as the bell sounded throughout the building, dodging rushing students in the process. His eyes set on the sign showing “3–1” and he sighed, relieved to see that the classroom wasn’t as chaotic as the others. Some students were out of their seats, talking to others, but aside from that it looked relatively tame. 

When Mr Choi opened the door, they hurried back to their seats. He stood behind his desk and smiled, “alright, be quiet. We have a new student joining us from today.” 

Jaehyun scanned over the class, who were waiting in anticipation. He bowed and he heard some people talk as he stood up again. “I’m Jaehyun, nice to meet you.” 

His incredibly simple introduction seemed to be a win, as the class started shouting back at him. He couldn’t help but smile, as he was pleasantly surprised. 

“Alright, calm down everyone,” Mr Choi laughed, “you can sit there, beside Taeil.” 

Jaehyun walked over to the empty seat and placed his bag underneath the desk. Taeil looked over at him and smiled, so he smiled back. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

Jaehyun was glad to hear the bell echo throughout the halls, and he placed his pen down in relief. Mr Choi, who was also their Korean language teacher, had just finished up his lesson, and, from the response of all the students, he gathered they had some kind of break. The teacher headed over in Jaehyun’s direction, and stopped in front of Taeil’s desk. 

“Taeil, as class president, can you show Jaehyun around when you have time?” he asked, taking the new student by surprise. 

“Of course,” the class president replied, “I’ll take him at lunch.” 

“Thanks, I have a lot of paperwork to do, and we can’t have him getting lost.” 

Mr Choi walked back to the front of the class to collect his things, and Jaehyun sighed, turning around. 

“You don’t need to,” he said. 

“Yes, I do. Teacher’s orders,” he smiled. “Anyway, you seem nice.” 

“Ah...” Jaehyun looked away, “thanks.” 

He was taken by surprise when a hand was stretched out in his direction, “I’m Moon Taeil.” 

“Jung Jaehyun.” 

He hesitantly joined hands with the class president and shook it. 

“Doyoung, get over here,” said Taeil, looking back, “Jaehyun will be joining us for the near future.” 

“Alright,” he said plainly, not moving from his seat. 

Taeil sighed, “sorry, he’s like this with everyone.” 

“It’s alright.” 

The classroom door opened, and the next teacher—the mathematics teacher—set up his things. The class fell silent and the room was soon filled with the sound of writing and a dry-wipe pen on the whiteboard. Soon met with an aching hand again, Jaehyun wrote down whatever the teacher said. He already knew it all, but it wouldn’t hurt to repeat it. The day seemed to be passing pretty quickly. Before he knew it, it was already lunch.


End file.
